Today’s secret ingredient is…..HABENERO PEPPERS!

So now America, with an open heart and an empty stomach, I say unto you in the words of my uncle: Allez cuisine!

Habenero is such a difficult pepper to work with……I’m not sure that I actually have a strategy with this menu except not to burn the house down. LOL
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Today’s secret ingredient is…..CUMIN!

So now America, with an open heart and an empty stomach, I say unto you in the words of my uncle: Allez cuisine!

Cumin is such an international spice…..my strategy is to present dishes from around the world.

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Pan seared salmon and french style green beans and mushrooms in brown butter sauce and corn on the cob.

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I recently received The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum and I decided to read it. I know what you’re thinking…..who reads a cookbook? You pick a recipe and you bake it.  Well this book is supposed to be so much more.  It’s supposed to be about the SCIENCE behind baking.  Cool! I want to learn the science!  I know how to bake but I want to know THE SCIENCE.  I want to know why different ingredients interact the way they do so I can change them!  I read some reviews from other people who really dislike the book though.  I’ve read numerous people say that the author’s tone is off putting.  I disagree…..BUT…..the level of science has almost done me in and I’m only on page 39.  I think I need to go back and start over because so far it seems as though the author is saying that she uses a yellow pound cake recipe as her base for all other cakes.  Well doesn’t that make the cakes dense?  Interesting.  I’ll be back with more.

I’ve posted my cousin Paul’s gumbo recipe before.  It’s quite delicious!  I usually make it for Superbowl Sunday…..but I have been craving gumbo since we were in Vegas and New Year’s Eve was the perfect opportunity for me to make a pot and have other people around to partake so I don’t end up with tons of leftover gumbo.  Well three things happened.  First I tried to make a smaller pot, second I changed the recipe and third…..I ran out of time.  So there are some serious shortcuts in this recipe but it’s great for “quick” gumbo and it’s tasty as hell!

Here is what I did (there are no real measurements……I just did it):

1 1/2 pounds of jumbo raw shrimp (peeled and deveined)
4 links of spicy smoked sausage
6 thin sliced flattened chicken breasts
1 large Vidalia onion
1 large red bell pepper
4 bay leaves
Creole seasoning
Garlic Pepper
Paprika
2 of those big square containers of chicken broth
2 cans of diced tomatoes with green chiles
Butter and Flour (for the roux)

First I chopped all my veggies. I use a sweet onion and sweet bell pepper because that’s what I like and I excluded celery because I didn’t need a whole bunch and didn’t want to waste. I chopped my sausage into small slices (here’s a tip: if you’re using a serrated knife that is pulling the sausage jagged as you cut, roll the sausage each time you cut so that you’re not cutting on the same side every time) and my chicken breasts into one inch chunks. I MARINATED MY CHICKEN AND SHRIMP with the creole seasoning and a little olive oil (to coat) for several hours. My chicken has never tasted so good before. Now here’s the thing, I usually use a whole chicken, cut into pieces, to make my stock so I never marinate it….but again…..low on time…..people waiting for supper here!

BEST ROUX I EVER MADE:
1 cup of flour mixed into 2 sticks of butter melted at the bottom of a heavy pot
STIR CONSTANTLY
When I first started making gumbo, I struggled with a dark roux. I would get nervous or scared and would never go past a peanut butter color. Okay….a dark roux takes patience people. I stirred this roux constantly for 45 minutes before I added the veggies. My result was a dark copper penny color and finally a dark chocolate color. I didn’t take any pictures BEFORE adding the veggies because I didn’t want to risk stepping away to pick up the camera.

When your roux reaches the desired color, dump your veggies in SLOWLY (be careful of sizzle and splatter) and keep stirring constantly.

Stir the roux with veggies until they begin to soften….approximately 15 minutes.

Add the chicken stock SLOWLY.  You still want to avoid sizzle and pop and splash.

I mix it until the roux and veggies are well incorporated and then add the bay leaves, garlic pepper, plenty of creole seasoning, marinated chicken and sausage.  Bring it to a boil, lower to a simmer and cover.  Simmer for 2 hours or so.

After the chicken is DONE, remove the bay leaves and add any more seasoning that you think you may need.  Then add the 2 cans of tomatoes with green chiles and the shrimp.  Let it simmer some more….about 15 minutes until the shrimp are cooked into a “C” shape.  Cut the fire off, cover the pot, and let it sit until you’re ready to eat.

That was my New Year’s Eve gumbo.  Feel free to give it a try!